March 1950 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

March 1950 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Norman Saunders

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Swing Low, Sweet Casket”, 15th of 16 stories in BM

~ Dean Evans, “Hot-Rod Homicide”, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ John P. Foran, “Epitaph for an Eager Beaver”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Fred Lane, “Slayer at Sea”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Hank Searls, “Drop Dead Twice”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Walter Snow, “Boozer Take All”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Bryce Walton, “Skid-Row Slaughter”, author’s sole appearance in BM

September 1940 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

September 1940 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ Cleve Adams, “That Certain Feeling”, ‘Engelhardt & Dewey, Car 97, LA setting’, 2nd of 6 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Pictures for Murder”, 22nd of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 34th of 43 stories in BM

~ William E. Brandon, “Danny, Once the Rat”, ‘police-stoolie & Nazi spies’, 3rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Dale Clark, “Killer in the Wind”, 2nd of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 4th of 32 stories in BM

~ John Lawrence, “Death in the Pluperfect”, 1st of 2 stories with ‘Ace McGuire, Broadway squad, 1st-person narrator’, 7th of 14 stories in BM

~ Robert Reeves, “Dog Eat Dog”, Cellini Smith and RR’s debut, 1st of 3 parts that will be published as the novel No Love Lost in 1941, reprinted in Dead and Done For: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Cellini Smith (Steeger, 2020), 1st of 12 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

January 1948 issue ~ cover art by Paul Stevens

January 1948 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Paul Stevens

~ Curtis Cluff, “Snow at Waikiki”, 1st of 3 with Honolulu PI Johnny Ford, ‘1st-person narrator, ‘snow=heroin’, 1st of 4 stories in BM

~ Merle Constiner, “Bury Me Not”, ‘Luther McGavock, private detective; he works for Atherton Browne who heads a Memphis-based agency, last of 11 of the McG stories; usually rural setting’, reprinted in Let the Dead Alone: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Luther McGavock (Steeger, 2020), last of 12 stories in BM

~ Norman A. Daniels, “Death is No Stranger”, Rick Trent, ex-PI, ex-con, 1st person narrator, 3rd of 4 stories in BM

~ Robert C. Dennis, “Murder Tops the Cast”, 4th of 6 with ‘William (Willie) Carmody, Confidential Investigations & Margaret O’Leary, writer, Hollywood, WC is first-person narrator’, 4th of 10 stories in BM

~ C.P. Donnel, Jr., “Keep the Killing Quiet”, ‘1st-person narrator’, last of 20 stories in BM

~ George F. Kull, “Red Christmas”, ‘in Reno‘, 1st of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1930 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

September 1930 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Guthrie Brown, “Stalemate”, ‘Western lynching’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “Shooting Out of Town”, 37th of 53 with Race Williams who ‘goes out of town on a gun job’, 49thof 71 appearances in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Nagasaki Bound”, 1st half of Jo Gar story, 6th of 24 stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ J. J. Des Ormeaux, “The Dago Trick”, ‘crook tale’, 2nd of 5 stories in BM (pseudonym of Forrest Rosaire)

~ Joseph Harrington, “Footloose Goes Astray”, ‘Western’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Shake-Down”, 12th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.2 (Altus, 2013), 25 of 67 stories in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Bullets for Murder”, 4th of 6 stories with ‘Phil Craleigh, once brilliant lawyer, now a drunk, given to bouts of reform’, million-dollar robbery, 13th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Death in a Bowl”, 1st of 3 serialized parts, ‘Ben Jardinn, Hollywood eye, & murder in Hollywood Bowl’, ‘(originally titled The Maestro Murder)’, published in hardcover in 1931 by Knopf, 41st of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1942 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

May 1942 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ W.T. Ballard, “Lights, Action – Killer!”, 27th and last Lennox story in BM, 40th of 43 stories in BM

~ D.L. Champion, “Blood from a Turnip”, 8th of 26 with Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 9th of 30 stories in BM.

~ Dale Clark, “Murder is No Joke”, 9th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 11th of 32 stories in BM

~ Norbert Davis, “Don’t Cry for Me”, 1st of 3 with Hollywood piano man John Collins, 10th of 13 stories in BM

~ C.P. Donnell, Jr., “Death of the Party ”, 9th of 16 with Colonel Walter (Doc) Rennie, USA Medical Corps psychiatrist, 9th of 20 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Dormant Account”, 19th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop